Welcome back!
My practice is at about the same place... still struggling to find a foothold, but, at times, I'm becoming more comfortable with that struggle.
I also noticed that my arms/legs are the areas which subtle vibrations occur in most easily, and often, at the moment of distraction, i can feel
that my knees or elbows are the most sensitive, and that any time i lose equanimity, i feel it here. Therefore, instead of anapanasati in the nostrils
as the anchor to go back to, it also works for me by feeling the arms/legs, or whole body, depending on where the subtle parts are.
I definitely feel subtle vibrations more easily in my hands, feet and in my face (especially the sides between ear and cheek and in the forehead). This is very similar to the way I feel piti rise when doing samatha practice which makes me think there is a strong connection between body scanning and concentration. Another observation that supports that thought for me is that subtle sensations seem to arise more easily, frequently and with more intensity when I am more concentrated. I guess it's not really a surprise since Goenka does start retreats with a few days of samatha but it seems like a deeper connection, even similarity between the two practices.
I've heard a brief description from a person who uses jhana as a way to start body-scanning based insight practice. She enters jhana, exits jhana and then uses the resulting sensations in the body (which I think are piti as a jhana factor) as a way to see impermanence.
I myself am deciding what meditation technique to focus on.
I like the idea of softening particular parts of the body and the 'hardened' body parts having to do with specific sankharas. I.e. My throat, the back of my head
and my gut are places where i often have trouble. Therefore, maybe if i dedicated more time with these, it would serve as a therapeutic approach to certain issues of mine
.Hmm i dont know if this is very effective but just an idea playing in my head.
Same here, still trying to find a practice and an approach to practice that works for me. I had an occasion to experiment with noting while keeping my eyes open, it seems that having more input makes it easier for me to stay engaged with the noting. Of course, it could also be the effect of 45 minutes of samatha I did just before that...
I don't think I've done enough body scanning or with enough intensity to notice any changes in the body but it does sound like a practice with many potential benefits and the connections to energy work / yoga seem to be quite obvious.
It's always helpful to discuss practice and to get another meditator's point of view and experience on practice. Thank you for sharing!
Eran.